Various situations arise wherein a person ingests too many capsules of a vitamin or medicinal substance. The capsules must be removed before they dissolve and are distributed into the bloodstream and other parts of the human body where they could cause harmful effects.
One example of this is the ingestion of ferrous sulfite tablets. The inability to remove such tablets by conventional methods, such as vomiting and gastric labage using large orgastic tubes, with the consequent adverse effect has been documented clinically. One conventional way of removing the tablets of the type under consideration is by the use of a 40 French Lavacuator. Even the best results in using this approach have accounted for less than 50% of the removal of the tablets. Similarly, low yields of removal have resulted with the use of an E-Wald red rubber tube. Tablets containing ferrous sulfate (iron) are radio-opaque and failure of removal is easily identifiable. Ferrous sulfate tablets have been removed surgically when conventional techniques have not resulted in the removal of toxic amount of iron from the stomach. Of course, surgery is desirably avoided if at all possible.